Lamp-socket.



E. H. FREEMAN.

LAMP SOCKEL APPLiCAUON ULEB )ML ii BNL HNEWL'U NIL \3, i913.

ments, which not only the plug contacts.

60 adapting it to a 'wide railge EDGAR H. FREEMAN, 0F TRENTON, NEW JERSFEV LAMP-SOCKET.

Application tiled Januarye, 1915, Serial No. 79'?.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDGAR H. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State 5 of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp-Sockets, of Which the following is i pecil'ication.

This invention relates to tne generol subject of lamp sockets and more particularly 1o to a novel construction especially adapted to lamps of large voltage and capacity.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a socket constructed with special reference to strength, rigidity and compact 15 ness of parts thereby rendering the saine lamps of the character above though susceptible of general incandescent useful with pointed out, application to all sizes of lamps.

Another object is to provide novel and practical 4means for holding the socket parts in assembled relation. That is to say, the present device contemplates theuse of combined fastening and current conducting elcserve as means for locking together with interior socket parts, but also as a clamping means for locking the cap and shell together, and furthermore carry the current from the Wire terminals to This construction is particularly advantageous, since the mere act of loosening these combined fastening and conducting elements separates the entire socket.

As a further object the invention proposes to utilize stout .and substantial parts that are easily and economically manufactured and readily assembled. In this latter connection, it may be noted that the construction 40 of the interior parts of the socket VaresuQh that the merc assembling or bringing together thereof, centers and alines the parts for the reception of the binding or fastening eleniems thereby greatly facilitating the assembling operation,

Another object of the invention is to provide a rigid and tight fitting connection between the cap and shell members to make a substantially Waterproof socket., thereby of uses, and can n he used in exposed places as well as an in L terior fitting. Y

'With the above and other objects in view which will .more readily appear as the nature ci the invention. is better understood,

the same consists in the novel construction,

Specification et' Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. ce, 191s. Renewed February 1B, 1918. SerialNo. 216,977.

combination and arrangement of parts heref y inafter more fully claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-` Figure l is a vertical sectional the aembled socket. y y

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. l showing more plainly the combined fastening and current carrying' screws in detail. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan and insulating base therein.

A Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the shell portion ot' the casing showing the plug contact block.

Fig. is a cross section of the cap on the line 5--5 of Fin. 3. l

Similar renrence characters designate corresponding arts throughout the several figures of the rravvings.

In carrying out posed to follow the general outline and conventional design of standard lamp Sockets, and with this end in view, the invention contemplatesV a metallic cluding the main shell or body 1. and a cap member 2 having the usual opening 3 therein for the reception of the line wires.

The socket ca is provided within the top part thereof.r alljaeent the Wire openin 3, with the stationary nut members 4. T ese may be formed as shown, that is. from a plate stampin fastened to the crown piece of the cap, and havingopposite folded portions whose terminals are threaded at 4f? to provide the nuts. ,the cap is at its y telesccpically receives the couplin of the shell 1. Adjacent the sai described, illustrated, and

View of View of the cap the invention, it is pro socket casing in-` The largest diameter oi" on the shell Vbody 1 is formed a continuous external bead 7 Whichprovides an annular' internal holding groove 8, the purpose of which will hereinafter more fully appear.\

Referring further to the cap member 2, it

will be noted that the same has fitted therein a circular disk-like basebloek 9 which may" be made of porcelain or other material suitable for this purpose` This block not only constitutes a substantialbase for the Wire terminals 'and effectively, ins'ulates the cap according to quirements, but alsoconstitutes holding member to which couples the other interior parts of the socket, as will be more readily insulating apparent as the description proceeds in deystandard re! -screws 12a for holding tail. The said block 9 is rigidly mounted in the cap by means of suitable fastening screws 10 or equivalent fastening elements, cooperating with the stationary nut menibers 4, and is also rovided with suitable line-wire terminal gates 11 held by screws 11 on opposite si es of the central wire receiving opening 12 which registers with the opening 3 in the cap, thereby affording an unobstructed passage for the line-wires into the socket.

In addition to having the usual binding the line-wires, the terminal plates 11 are provided with screw receiving o enings a, thereby constituting nut plates or the combined current carrying and fastenin elements hereinafter referred to. The circumferential side wall of the block 9 is formed with diametrically opposits guiding and aliningrecesses l-which register with similarlyarranged fastening clip recesses 14 in the insulating plug-contact block 15 in the shell 1.

The insulating block 15 has secured thereto in the recesses 111, the angular ange sprin fastening or retaining clips 16 which are a apted to be s rung into the annular recess 8 on the shell body to always hold the block in proper position within the shell.

Not only do these clips hold the block 1a in the shell, but the also coperate with the recesses 13 on the lock 9 to properly and easily aline the two insulating blocks.

The rigidity and compactness of the socket is increased by the combined conducting aini fastening screws 17 and 18 which pass through the openings 19 in the body of the block 15 and thread into the openings a. on the terminal plate 11 hereinbefore referred to. These screws, therefore, serve to strongly cou le the two blocks 9 and 15 together, and ecause the latter are respectively connected to the ca 2 and shell 1, these two arts of the soc ret are also, firmly and rigidly united by said screws 17 and 18. In this connection it will also be apparent that the arts just referred to as being cou led by t ese screws can be separated by t e mere act of loosening the same, thereby providing a quick and easy means for taking the socket apart.

lt will therefore be lapparent that the interior socket parts are held rigidly and tightly in place, since the block 9 is rigidly fastened to the cap and the block 15 is interlocked with the shell, and then both are rigidly fastened together by means of the screws 17 and 18. y

One face of the cylindrical insulating block 15 is formed with suitable pockets 20 to provide chambersl for the terminal plates 11 when the blocks are assembled, and at the same time cfl'ectivelyhouse the exposed end` of the terminal wires, While the other face is recessed as at 21 and carries the ordinary screw shell contact 22 and also carries the usual center plug contact 23 which is held in position by the screw 24. The said center lug contact 23 is provided with a conductor plato 25 through which passes the fastening and current carrying screw 17, and the screw shell contact 21 has secured thereto an ordinary bridge plate 26through which the other of the fastenin and currentcan rying screws 18 passes. lt will thus be apparent that the screw 17 is in electrical contact with one of the wire terminal plates 11 at one end, and in electrical contact at the other with the center plu through the` plate 25, while t c screw, 18 is in electrical Contact with the other ofthe wire terminal plates and n ith the bridge plate 26 of the screw shell contact 24. For the purpose of properly insulating the -socket casing from the screw shell contact 241, there is preferably interposed between these members a fiber insulating sleeve QT.

With the insulating blocks mounted in the cap and shell, as described, it is only necessary to tit the cap member onto the shell so that the alining recesses 13 in the block 9 receive the fastening clips 16, thus bringing the openings 19 in the block 15 into alinement with the threaded openings on the wire terminal plates 1l. In addition to alining the openings 19 with the holes a in the wire terminal plates, this engagement. between the cap member and shell member also brings the wire terminal plates 11 over the pockets 20 in the face of the block 15, thereby placing these terminal plates in separate chambers which eiiectivcly prevent stray ends of the line-Wircs from coming in contact and causing a short circuit.

lVhen the cap member and shell member are in their assembled relation, they may be secured together by tightening up the combined current carrying and fastening screws 17 and 18. This action draws the cap and shell member together and forms a tight joint therebetween, thus producing a substantially waterproof socket,

From the foregoing description, it is thought that the many features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent, and it will of course line under;- stood that various changes in the form, pro,- portion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fronti the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims, and without szu`criiicin5ff any of the advantages thereof;

I claim:

1. A lamp socket including a divided socket interior, the separate parts of which respectively carry the line wire terminals and the lamp terminals, the shell member, the cui member, means for fastening one part o the socket interior in the shell inember and the other part of the socket interior contact 23 iro in the cap member, and current carryin screws connectin the line terminals wit4 the lamp termina s and thereby also cnstitting the fastening means for the cap and s ell.

2. A lamp socket including the shell member, u cal member, an insulating base fastened to the cap member and carrying the wire terminals, a block fastened to the shell member and carrying the lamp terminals, and current carrying screws connecting the lamp terminals and wire terminals and thereby also constituting means for separably locking together the cap and shell.

3. A lamp socket including the shell member, the cap member, an insulated base fastened to the cap member and carrying the wire terminals, an insulating block fastened to the shell member and carrying the lamp terminals, and current can' 7ing screws connecting. the lamp terminals and the Wire terminals and thereby also fori'ning a sepa rable locking connection between the cap and shell.

4. A lamp socket including the shell member and cap member, an insulating base block fastened to the cap member and having alining notches, terminal plates carried by the said block, a plug contact block, means carried by said plug Contact block for engaging the shell and registering in said alining notches of the base block, a. center plug contact carried by said plug contact block, a screw shell contact also carried thereby, and separate current carrying screws connecting the base block and contact block and thereby separably locking together the cap and shell, said current earn 'ing screws connecting with one of the Wire secured to said nut plates and aving da, Ii

hetricsilly opposite alining recesses, wire terminal platesearried by the ca a plug Contact block, flanged retaining ell members carried by the latter block an engaging with the shell, said clip members also engaging Within the diametrically opposite 5o Lrecesses of the base block in the cap, and

current carrying screws connectin with the electrical terminals on both the ase block and the contact block and thereby locking the cap and shell elements together. l

6. A lamp socket including a shell member Having an upstandin peripheral flan e at one end, an external ad adjacent said flange Vand presenting an interior annular groove, a plug contact block in said shell and having means for engaging with the groove therein, a cap member adapted to telescopically receive the said flange of the shell member, a base block carried by the cap member uml having Wire terminal plates, and current carrying screws connecting with the electrical termlnals on both the base block and the contact block and thereby locking the cap and shell elements to- 7o gether. A

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDGAR 1-1. FREEMAN.

Witnesses: ,y

J. ,H. STALKHENGE, Geo. FL. Museum.

plug contact,` and o 

